Sixth Year Dilemmas
by CTR4ever
Summary: Harry, Ron, and Hermione must battle their way through quidditch injuries, crushes, kisses, and many other things in their Sixth Year. HGRW ::?HPGW?:: The story is better than the summary, I promise.
1. Chapter 1: An Owl and a Question

Alright, so I know we've all read the sixth book by now, but I thought it would be fun to do this anyway!

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Disclaimer: I own copies of the first three Harry Potter books in paperback and on CD, I own copies of the fourth and fifth books in paperback, and I own copies of the sixth Harry Potter book in Hardback and on CD, but I do not actually _own_ Harry Potter. (Pfff... I wish)

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Chapter 1: An Owl from Harry and a Question from Ginny 

Hermione was lying on her bed with nothing to do- she had finished all of the work they had been assigned for the summer on her first day home, and as she had not yet gotten her book list, she couldn't start reading next year's books, either.

She sighed and looked over at the clock, which read 11:30.  
"I suppose I should offer to help Mum with lunch," she murmured, but as she got up, she heard a rapping at her window. She turned to see Pigwidgeon fluttering outside the window, struggling to hold up the large letter attached to his leg. She slid the window open, and he flew inside and let himself fall on her bed with a soft _flump_. She untied the letter and gave him an owl treat, and he was soon whizzing around the room, waiting for her to answer the letter. She quickly read through the letter, surprised to find that it was not from Ron, as she had expected, but from Harry.

_Dear Hermione,  
I'm using Pig to send this because Hedwig's out hunting at the moment. Anyway, we talked to Ron's parents, and they said we could all come get you on Friday if it's okay with your parents. Send a letter back with Pig._

_  
Hoping to see you on Friday,  
Harry_

Hermione quickly scribbled down that she'd see them on Friday, then went downstairs to tell her parents that that was when she'd be leaving.

It was Friday and Hermione was waiting by the front door. Harry had written again and told her that they would be taking the Ministry cars since the Ministry suddenly seemed very eager to make amends with Harry. The doorbell rang and Hermione opened it to find Harry standing there, grinning at her.

"Good to see you, Harry!" she quickly gave him a hug. Then Ron walked in. It was all Hermione could do to keep from gasping. Over the summer, Ron had filled out. His thin form had become more muscular, making him seem less lanky- he and Harry had obviously been practicing Quidditch a lot, which would also explain the fact that he was much more tan- he hardly seemed to have freckles anymore.

"Hi Ron," Hermione said, recovering surprisingly quickly from the shock. Before Ron could reply, however, Ginny had come running past him, almost knocking him and Harry over in her haste to see Hermione.

"Wow! You're a LOT taller, Hermione," she said after giving her a hug.

"I know," Hermione replied, "I've grown about three inches so far this summer."

Ginny continued to talk on they way home. They had their own car, so they didn't have to worry about the boys hearing their conversation. Sometimes, when Ginny started talking a lot, Hermione's mind would drift off to other things- Ron in particular. How had he gotten so good-looking in one summer?

At one point, Ginny noticed Hermione's inattentiveness. She stopped talking for a few minutes, then said abruptly:

"You like him, don't you?"

"Huh? Sorry, what did you say?" Hermione asked, coming out of her reverie.

"You like him, don't you?" Ginny asked impatiently.

"What- like who?"

"My brother."

"Why would you say that?" Hermione tried to keep her voice sounding incredulous, but she failed miserably.

"Two reasons: One- You were staring at him as if he were a god when he walked in the door. Two- you haven't listened to a word I said since we got into this car."  
"Erm, well... Yes..."

"It's alright... As long as I don't ever find the two of you snogging... I'm a protective little sister." She grinned as she said this, but Hermione's eyes narrowed.

"What makes you think we'd even start going out?"

"Because he likes you back," Ginny said this as if it were obvious.

"What makes you say that?" Hermione was choosing her words carefully, doing her best to make it seem as if she didn't care.

"Well, considering the fact that he kept staring at you the whole time he was helping to load your trunk into the back of the car, the fact that he held open the door for you to get into the car- you know how insensitive Ron is- how many times do you think he has held the door open for a ?" Ginny stopped abruptly as they pulled up to the house.

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So there you have it! The first chapter of Sixth Year Dilemmas! 


	2. Chapter 2: Quidditch

X ME love ME x - Thanks! Here's the Update you asked for!

JorInTheBox- Thanks alot! There's lots more to come!

RonMione4eva- Thankies! Hope you like this one too!

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Disclaimer: I own some lip gloss, some cheap black sandals, the purse I bought a month ago, and several notebooks that I do my writing in. However, I do not own Harry Potter, or anything that's remotely familiar to you.

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After lunch, they walked to the broom shed and then to the clearing nearby where they could play Quidditch without having to worry about muggles catching them. As they walked, however, Ron and Harry pulled ahead and started whispering, grins on their faces much like the ones Fred and George got when they were scheming."Ginny, you do realize I'm about to make a total and complete fool of myself, right?" Hermione looked as if she were about to loose her lunch.  
"Oh, come on, Hermione! It'll be fun!" Ginny said, but Hermione continued to look as if she were about to hurl.  
Once they had gotten to the enclosure, Ron and Ginny immediately got on their brooms and launched themselves into the air. Harry, however, was unpacking the Quidditch balls from their crate. First he got out the quaffle- Ron swooped low to catch it as Harry threw it into the air. Then he let out the Snitch, and it fluttered off. At this point, he turned to Hermione.  
"Aren't you going to fly, then?" he asked, a grin on his face. Hermione bit her lip.  
"Erm, I suppose." She nervously straddled the broom and pushed off gently, so that her feet were a mere foot above the ground.  
"Go an then," he said, still grinning, "keep going."  
Hermione got a better grip on the handle and went higher into the air, wobbling slightly on her broom as she circled upwards. Harry released the bludgers and rocketed into the air, whizzing past Hermione and almost making her lose her balance.  
"Hermione!" Ron called, and she only just managed to duck a bludger that had come hurtling her way. Another voice called her name, but this time it was Harry, passing her the quaffle. She had. Just managed to catch it when yet another voice called her name. She turned to see one of the black bludgers speeding towards her.

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I know this was really short, but I wanted to leave you with a cliffy! I'll update soon enough, I promise! 


	3. Chapter 3: Should That Have Happened?

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Harry Potter. That's it. plain and simple.

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JorInTheBox- I know it was short... Sorry! Here's a longer one to compensate, though... And it's got the answers you asked for... :)

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"No-out! You'll wake her! She needs to rest!" Hermione could hear someone whispering. _Wake who?_ she thought. 

"I just want to sit with her!"

"Well you'll have to be quiet!"

"Okay!"

Hermione heard the door shut. Just listening to this conversation had exhausted her. Before she drifted back to sleep, however, she felt a hand holding hers.

---

Hermione woke to find herself in Ginny's room, laying on her bed. Ron was sitting next to her, his head laying on the bed, his hand in hers. Hermione didn't want to wake him, but she knew he would be really embarrassed if she just left him sleeping. She used the hand he wasn't holding to nudge him. He immediately sat bolt upright, but he didn't let go of her hand.

"Oh, you're awake! Thank goodness!" Mrs. Weasley said, walking into the room. Ron let go of Hermione's hand.

"I'll go make you something to eat," Mrs. Weasley said, bustling back out.

Hermione tried to sit up, but her head started throbbing.

"Ron?"

"Yeah?" Ron said, blushing.

"Wh-What happened to me?" Ron stopped blushing, and he seemed relieved- he had obviously thought she was going to ask why he had been holding her hand.

"You don't remember?" He asked. She shook her head.

"Well, a bludger hit you in the head. Harry and I only just managed to catch you before you hit the ground. You've been asleep for three days now."

"And Ron has barely left your side that whole time," Ginny said, walking in. Ron turned bright red.

"I was just worried," he mumbled.

"Thanks Ron," Hermione said, grabbing his hand. Ginny, seeing this, grinned.

"I think I'll just get some more pillows so you don'thave to hold yourself up anymore, Hermione." she hurried out of the room, a smirk on her face.

"Ron," Hermione said, leaning closer to him, "Thanks- really,"

"You're welcome," he said. She leaned in and gave him a gentle kiss, then pulled away.

"Should that have happened?" she asked, looking into his eyes. He leaned in and gave her a kiss in reply. Just then Harry walked in.

"Ginny said Hermione's awa- Maybe I should come back later," he said, turning back around.

"No, Harry. It's okay." Hermione said.

"How are you doing?" he asked.

"Well, my head's throbbing, my legs ache, my arms are sore, and I've got a crick in my neck from sleeping so long, but aside from that, I'm wonderful."  
They all laughed, and when Ginny came in, she wanted to know what was so funny.

"I just made a stupid joke," Hermione said. "Now can we get those pillows back behind me now?"

"Yes. Ron, will you help me?" Ginny asked.

"Sure." He got up and helped prop the pillows up behind her so that it didn't hurt to sit up.

Just then, Mrs. Weasley bustled in with a tray that had orange juice, soup, and a glass full of a liquid that changed from purple to orange and back again.

"Eat. When you're done, drink all of the potion," she said, then turned to the others. "You all can stay while she eats, but once she's done you have to leave- Even though she's woken up, she still has a lot of recovering to do, and she needs her sleep. Hermione, that potion will help your brain recover. I daresay you don't remember what happened?"

Hermione nodded.

"Ron explained what happened, but I don't remember any of it."

"Well, get some rest and that potion will do the trick," she said. She left Hermione to eat.

Everyone else stayed with her to talk while she ate, but as she finished and the others got up to leave, Hermione turned to Ron.

"Erm, Ron? Could I talk to you?" she asked. Harry leaned over and whispered something in his ear. Ron replied by punching him in the shoulder. Ginny and Harry left quickly, both smirking. Ron sat back down, blushing a little.

"What is it?" Ron asked.

Hermione sat there for a long time, trying to think of how she should put her thoughts into words.

"Ron, I-" she started, but he put a finger to her lips.

"I understand," he said. He bent down and gave her a kiss.

"Drink your potion and go to sleep," he said, "I'll see you tomorrow morning."

It was only then that Hermione realized how exhausted she was. She drank all of the potion and eventually drifted off to sleep.

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I hope you all liked it! 


	4. Chapter 4: OWL's and a Kiss

By the time Hermione woke up the next day, it was already lunch time, and Mrs. Weasley brought up a tray for her.

"You can try walking downstairs for dinner, but until then, you stay in bed, or I'll have your hide. Do you understand me?"

Without waiting for an answer, she left the room, leaving Hermione to eat alone, but not for long. Harry appeared, grinning, just a few minutes later, with a tray of his own.

"Ron and Ginny are helping Fred and George stock up the joke shop for the sart of term rush. I thought you might want some company," he said.

"Thanks Harry," she said, although she couldn't help but feel disappointed that Ron wasn't there.

As if he had read her mind, Harry commented "They'll be back in time for dinner, though." At this, Hermione brightened, because it meant he would be home to see her walk for the first time since the accident. They sat and talked as they ate, and Hermione was very happy to have the company. She loved Harry almost like an brother, someone she could talk to about almost anything. When they had finished eating, Harry stood up.

"You should get more rest if you're going to try walking tonight," he said.

"I suppose," She replied, "Can you close the curtains then?"

After he closed them, he walked over next to her bed.

"Anything else you need?" he asked, and Hermione shook her head.  
He stood by her bed for a second, then bent down and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. He left the room quickly, leaving a very puzzled Hermione to try to get some sleep.

When Hermione woke up later that day, Ron was sitting next to her bed  
with a letter in hand.

"Our school lists are here," he said, "and our O.W.L. results as well."

"Well, let me have mine, then," she said impatiently. He handed her  
the envelope, and she opened it nervously, as though it might bite  
her. Inside the envelope were the usual letters and booklist, but  
there was also a smaller envelope labeled:

Hermione Granger  
O.W.L. Results

Before opening hers, she turned to Ron.

"What did you get?" she asked.

"I haven't opened mine yet. I thought we could open them at the same  
time," he said.

"Alright, well, here it goes," she said. They opened the envelopes and  
pulled out pieces of parchment. Hermione quickly read her results:

Astronomy: E  
Care of Magical Creatures: O  
Potions: O  
Transfiguration: O  
Defense Against the Dark Arts: O  
Charms: O  
Arithmancy: O  
Ancient Runes: E  
Herbology: O  
History of Magic:E

She looked at Ron.

"Can I see what you got?" she asked, "It's okay if you don't want me  
to. I understand,"

"No… It's okay, Hermione. You can see," He said, handing her his piece  
of parchment. She did the same, and then she read his.

Astronomy: A  
Care of Magical Creatures: O  
Potions: O  
Transfiguration: E  
Defense Against the Dark Arts: O  
Charms: E  
Divination: P  
Herbology: E  
History of Magic: A

"Well done Ron!" Hermione said, "You got an O in potions! You can  
study to become and Auror!"

"I know," he said. He seemed to be in shock, but then, as Harry walked  
into the room, he asked a question that caught Hermione completely off  
guard.

"You never told Harry and I what 'Career Path' you were going to take.  
What are you going to do?" He asked.

"Well," she said, "I was actually thinking of becoming a Healer."

"Really, Hermione? That's great. I think you'd really be suited for  
the job," Harry said, "Would you like to see what I got?"

Hermione nodded and he handed it to her. Ron read it over her shoulder.

Astronomy: E  
Care of Magical Creatures: O  
Potions: O  
Transfiguration: E  
Defense Against the Dark Arts: O  
Charms: E  
Divination: P  
Herbology: E  
History of Magic: D

"I did pretty well, except for that D," he said, " and that was  
because I got a total of about five questions done before I had that  
dream, you know, about Voldemort and…" At the last few words, Harry  
slowed down and a pained expression filled his eyes.

"Harry?" Hermione asked slowly, "Do you want t-"

"No. I've been trying not to think about it," he said, getting up. "I  
think I'll just go see if your mom needs any help with anything, Ron."

He turned to leave, but Hermione was sure she saw him wipe his eyes  
with his sleeve.

Hermione sat and talked with Ron for awhile, then Ron left her to  
rest, but she was still thinking about Harry. They all missed Sirius,  
but no one more than Harry. What was worse was that he blamed himself  
for Sirius' death. She didn't know what she could say that would help  
him any.

Then there was the kiss. She didn't know what to make of it. She  
couldn't tell whether it had been a friendly kiss or whether there was  
feeling behind it. She wanted to ask Harry, but there seemed to be  
some sort of unspoken agreement between the two of them. She sighed  
heavily and rolled over. _I might as well get some sleep_, she thought.

Later that day, Hermione could be found playing Wizard's Chess with Ginny in her bedroom when Harry walked in and announced that Mrs. Weasley said Hermione could walk downstairs. She managed to get most of the way down without any help, but about ten steps from the bottom, she leaned suddenly onto the banister, feeling a little fatigued. Harry and Ron rushed forward to help her, but she waved them off, determined to get to the kitchen on her own.  
She finally managed to get there, and when she did, they had a cheerful, delicious dinner, though she noticed that Harry would not meet her eyes. After dinner, she managed to get back upstairs and into the room she and Ginny were sharing without incident. Before Ginny came in, however, Ron came to say goodnight. He gave her a kiss on the cheek, which reminded her of Harry's kiss. As Ron turned to leave, she stopped him.

"Err, Ron?" Hermione asked tentatively

"Yeah?" he replied.

"Has Harry been, err, acting strange?" she asked.

"I don't think so," he said, brow furrowing. "Why?"

"I was just wondering," she said, thinking quickly, "because of what happened the earlier today when he remembered the dream."

"Oh… No, I don't think he has," he said.

"Oh, ok." She said, trying to make sense of it. If Harry wasn't acting weird, then that must mean the kiss hadn't meant anything. But why hadn't he said anything about it, then? Was he just embarrassed? Or had it meant something, and Ron just wasn't noticing Harry acting weird? There didn't seem to be any sense in trying to figure it out, because her mind just kept going in circles. Eventually, she drifted off to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5: Huh?

Hey everyone! Sorry it has taken me so long to get this chappie posted! I have been so unelieveably busy with everything lately... Please forgive me! I will try to post more often!

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Disclaimer: If I were J.K. Rowling, would I be online writing fanfics? The answer, for those of you who can't figure it out, is no. So we can therefore assume that I am _not_ J.K. Rowling, and that I therefore do _not_ own Harry Potter.

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Over the next few days, Hermione started taking walks every day, at first just once around the outside of the house, then wandering through the hills around it. Every morning at breakfast, they discussed whether she was strong enough to play Quidditch again (this time without the bludgers), and every morning, Mrs. Weasley told them that if Hermione so much as touched a broomstick, they would all have sore backsides. One such morning, Hermione was listening to Ginny and Mrs. Weasley arguing about this when an owl swooped in with the daily prophet. She paid it, and before the owl had even gotten to the window, she gasped loudly and knocked over her orange juice. Everyone turned to look at her, and Mrs. Weasley went to find a rag to clean up the orange juice. 

"What is it, Hermione?" Ron asked.

"That," she said, pointing to the headline that spanned the front page. They all leaned in to read the article.

**NEW MINISTER CHANGES OLD LAW**  
Amelia Bones, the new minister of magic, has decided that her predecessor's attempts at good defense are not enough.

"It is not good enough to provide manuals for good defense in each home if half of the household cannot use these spells without appearing in court to prove that the situation was dire enough to use defensive magic," she stated this morning,

"Therefore, we are, until such time that Lord Voldemort and a majority of his followers have been successfully detained, lowering the age at which a or wizard can be called responsible enough to use magic outside of schooling, to sixteen."

Representatives of the ministry will be visiting Hogwarts School of craft and Wizardry once a month to test students who have come of age to evaluate whether they can responsibly use magic outside of school.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny all stared at the paper in utter disbelief.

"When do you suppose we'll get tested? The three of us are all old enough," Harry said.

"I don't know," Hermione said, "Most likely once we get to school. I mean, they aren't likely to track all of us who've already turned sixteen down and test, right? No, they'll probably wait till we're at school and do it then."

Several days later they went to Diagon Alley to get some their books. All three of them were only taking the subjects they needed for their chosen professions. Harry and Ron were both surprised to hear this about Hermione- "You're such an overachiever, though," Harry said.  
"Well N.E.W.T. level classes are bound to be harder than O.W.L. level, aren't they? I want to be able to concentrate on the classes I need," she said. After they had gotten all of their books, they went to the ice cream parlor to wait for everyone else. Once everyone had everything they needed, they used the fireplace in the Leaky Cauldron to get home. Once they were there, Mrs. Weasley quickly made them lunch. They were discussing the new law change when an owl swooped in with three envelopes. Harry reached out andgrabbed them as the owl swooped over his head, and it turned around in air and flew away.

"Funny," he said, handing two of the envelopes to Ron and Hermione, "They've got the Ministry seal on them."

Hermione opened hers and scanned the piece of parchment, her eyes wide.

"They want us to come for 'evaluation.' I'm going tomorrow. When're you two going?" They opened their envelopes.

"Mr. Harry Potter- You are expected to be at the Ministry of Magic for evaluation of Apparition and your magical abilities tomorrow, August 27th, at 11:30 AM," Harry read from his letter. Then he looked up. "What time do you have to be there?" he asked Ron and Hermione.

"I have to be there at 11:15," Ron said.

"11:00 for me," Hermione said.

"Right, well, sounds like you lot are coming in to work with me tomorrow," Mr. Weasley said.

When they arrived at the Ministry at 10:45 the next morning, Harry noticed that what had been left of the fountain Voldemort and Dumbledore had destroyed had now been cleared away.

"Right," Mr.Weasley said as they took the lift down to his level, "I've got to go to work right now. Harry, do you remember how to get to my office?" After Harry had nodded, he continued.

"Right, well, come to my office when you're all done with your testing and I reckon I could take a break to make sure you apparate correctly." he said, and headed off in the direction of his office, leaving them by a plain white door. They walked through it to find themselves in a small, square room that was almost empty except for the chairs that lined the walls, with gaps for only two doors- the one they had come through and another to their right.

"What do you reckon we do now?" Harry asked.

"Sit down, I suppose." Hermione said. No sooner had they sat down when a cool female voice filled the room.

"Hermione Granger, please enter the testing room." it said. She looked nervously at Ron, then got up and went through the other door.

Once again, she found herself in a square room, this this time slightly larger, with a door straight across from her. Not sure what to do, she stayed by the door she had just entered through, hoping something would happen. A few seconds later, the other door opened and she couldn't help being surprised at who it was that entered the room.

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Please review! Reviews are the only thing that keep me writing! 


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